Here Goes
by Estinfossa
Summary: Unfinished. Meant to be about Mark and Maureen, but sort of sidetrackes into Roger and April's relationship.
1. Chapter 1

Here is my first attempt at some form of a story, about a year after I actually made this account. Mainly about the meeting between Mark and Maureen. Reviews would be awesome, and I'll respond. Thanks in advance. )

Disclaimer: I don't own Rent.

Here Goes- Chapter 1

"Roger!" Mark shouted over the small crowd of people who had filled up what half an hour ago, had been the empty club. "Don't forget about us little people when you grow up to be a big rock star!" Roger smiled from on stage with his guitar in his hands, then waved at the camera Mark had pointed in his direction.

Satisfied with the reply Mark made his way toward the stage, and sat at a table directly in front. Collins was seated to his left, and an empty seat where April was supposed to be, was on his right. "Pretty crowded tonight, you think he'll be alright?" Mark asked Collins, more to calm his own nerves, then out of concern for Rogers. "Him? Nervous? Pffft, calm down _Mrs. Davis_" he jabbed sarcastically. The only reason he had asked was because of the half a dozen talent searchers seated directly behind them. Mark was starting to feel an unsettling sensation that really should belong to Roger. But Roger was never the worried type, which is why they were friends, so that Mark could be the responsible worry wart for both of them, while Roger did whatever the hell he wanted to. "Mark!" His attention was snapped back up to the stage where the band was nearly set up, and Roger stood with his arm slung nonchalantly across Aprils' shoulders, as if the record deal he could conceivably receive tonight was nothing out of the ordinary. "Mark! Get some of this on film!" Roger shouted to him just before he kissed April.

He didn't need to be told a second time. The camera was on and rolling immediately, he caught the tail end of the kiss, then decided that it was completely uninteresting. "Pan left" he mumbled to himself. The feeling of panic swept over him again as he saw through the eyepiece just how large the crowd was. How could Roger look so confident up there? All eyes on him, nowhere to hide. '_Alright, calm down, he'll be fine, he's done this a thousand times before, nothing new'_ he told himself.

"I just really hope he doesn't mess this one up" he said out of the side of his mouth unintentionally. "He won't" Collins answered, though Mark was relatively sure he had uttered that last bit too quietly for anyone to hear. Suddenly April was in the chair to his right, her facing glowing as she spoke to the camera that had taken the place of Marks face. "Record deal, here he comes" she pointed toward Roger who was now in the spotlight. _'Perfect intro_' Mark thought to himself. '_I'll just edit out the-'_ But his thoughts were interrupted as Rogers voice rang loudly over the slurred screams coming from the rest of the club.

The majority of the performance went well, that is, up until the part where the crowd got so rowdy that they actually lit some of the bands equipment on fire. It was a downhill spiral from there. Nothing seemed to go right. Once the blaze was put out Rogers vocals became cracked and shaky, the drummer was playing with only one drum stick, and the feedback from the amps became so loud that it completely drowned out the rest of the music.

Mark turned the camera toward his own face so that he could narrate, "And what we have here folks is a little something I like to call 'Rogers Demise.' Virtually all of this will be edited-" Halfway through his seemingly playful mocking toward Roger, a woman's voice echoed throughout the room. Mark glanced up on stage, and then back at Collins who merely shrugged his shoulders, suggesting that he had no idea who she was either. "Hello everyone! Now not that this wasn't a wonderful performance by our very own club regulars _Halfway Decent_, but the real show will be mine, Maureen Johnson, this Thursday, at the 11th street lot, be there." She began to walk away from the microphone, then as if she had forgotten something, ran back over to it and added "Lets here it for these guys!" She started a small wave of clapping which died out reasonably quickly.

"What a bitch" Mark thought out loud as he watched her make her way off the stage. "She just used Roger's failure as a way to advertise for her own show" he said as he turned toward Collins. "Well, some people will do anything" Collins shrugged as they followed April toward the stage, about to attempt to cheer up Roger, which they knew would not come as an easy feat.


	2. Chapter 2

I never realized how important reviews were until I was the one actually wanting them. So, well, go ahead, any at all are welcome. )

Disclaimer- I don't own Rent

Here Goes- Chapter 2

"Can you believ'er!" Roger shouted in slurred speech after drowning the failure of his performance in about 6 beers. "She, she…" "She what?" Mark prodded after Roger's inability to finish his sentence.

Collins had promised to bring April home about an hour ago because Mark had known that Roger would've hated for her to see him like this. He hated showing any signs of weakness. Roger walked down the street away from the club, rather sure-footed for a man who had just packed down quite a few. "It's like, you know, that, thing, that people have, where they love themselves." Roger glanced over at Mark walking next to him. "You mean she was conceited?" he suggested as he slide his arm around Rogers shoulders to direct him around a pothole, that he surly would've fallen into had Mark not noticed. "Well, no…wait, yeah. She was so happy about herself that no one else mattered…not even me." Mark could sense that although it was part of Rogers drunken ramblings, that he was actually hurt, something that would never have been made evident had he been sober.

Mark pulled his scarf tighter around his neck to cut the chill that the winter night provided. So what Roger had bombed probably his only chance at what he truly wanted? So what that sense of dread he had been feeling was rightly placed? And so what Monica, or Maureen, or whatever her name was had just felt the need to add insult to injury. So what! _'Thursday night at the 11th street lot' _he thought as he and the slightly unstable Roger made their way up apartment building stairs to the loft.

The next day, Mark awoke to the sound of a loud thud that seemed to echo throughout the loft. "What the hell?" he muttered out loud to himself as he climbed out of the small mattress he called a bed. With a yawn he made his way to the door of Roger's room, through which strange moaning noises could be heard. "Roger! Are you alright in there?" he asked as he opened the door.

Roger was sprawled out on the ground next to the bed tangled in a mess of thin sheets. "Ughhh, I fell" he moaned as he massaged his temples with both hands, though still on the floor. "From where? Your bed?" Mark managed to ask through stifled laughter. The setting was hilarious, so he ran to grab his camera before the scene was ruined. "And here we have Roger, falling out of the drunken state of last night….literally. It appears that he may have rolled out of bed, and will now-" "Shut up Mark! Turn the damn camera off" he protested from his spot on the floor. "Alright, alright, don't get yourself worked up over it. Here, stand up, I'll get you some Advil." Mark made an effort to help Roger to a standing position, then made his way to the small bathroom they shared to start the search of an Advil. _'I thought we had the money to buy some last week, how can we be out already?' _he thought to himself as he rummaged through the medicine cabinet.

The rest of the morning consisted of Mark acting as a mother would. Tucking Roger back into bed with an Advil and an extra blanket, it was starting to get colder after all. Suddenly it occurred to him that Collins had never come home after bringing April to her apartment the night before. _'I'll swing by there now, Roger'll be fine alone for awhile.'_

Mark left a few post-it's around the loft letting Roger know where he'd be, and telling him to get some more sleep, then he made his way over to Aprils apartment. "April? Collins?" he called their names through the door as he knocked. "It's me, Mark." The door unlocked with a click, and Collins greeted him with a tired smile. "Sorry, I should've called, but April was really upset last night. She wouldn't tell me why, only told me that she wanted someone to stay with her. She didn't want to be alone" he said as he motioned for Mark to enter the apartment. "She alright now?" he asked out of genuine concern. Even if he wasn't that fond of April, Roger was, and she needed to be looked after by someone. "Yeah she's fine, she's asleep in the back room" he said as he pointed toward the only open door on the small apartment.

Collins and Mark went on to talk about Roger's performance, quietly though, so that April wouldn't over hear. About a half hour later April was calling for Collins, and Mark decided to leave. He didn't want to intrude. "See you back at the loft tonight?" he asked as Collins made his way toward April's room. "Sure, if she's still upset I'll bring her along, she needs to be with Roger." Mark nodded in approval, turned to leave, and switched on his camera, so as to document his walk to the 11th street lot.

He had decided. Mark was curious about this woman who had used Roger's failure to promote herself. _'Maybe some good film'll come from the show' _he suggested to himself as he made his way through the streets toward the address she had given.

By now it was growing dark and the wind had kicked up a bit, so Mark drew his light jacket tighter around himself. "Here we are, off to see Maureen, the woman from Roger's show" he narrated to his camera. As he stepped into the lot, he caught sight of a small stage with an array of different colored lights, several stools, and a plastic replica of a small horse. _'What the hell am I doing here?'_ he thought as he started to turn around, regretting his decision to come, when someone tapped his shoulder from behind. "Hey, you're the guy with the camera from last night. Know anything about audio cables? I'm having a break-down here trying to fix this before the show." It was her. Maureen. Asking him for help! '_As if, not a chance she's getting_ _any help from me.' _"Uh sure what's wrong?" he asked lowering the camera to his side. _'What the hell! Why am I helping her? Yeah so she's attractive, she was a bitch last night remember!' _ That was the last thought he had against her the entire night, as she grabbed his hand and led him onstage towards the equipment.


	3. Chapter 3

I know it sounds a little pathetic but the three reviews I got were more than I expected, so yay! Thanks in advance for anymore to come.

I'm not gonna lie, this chapter is sad, but it has to happen, so just bear with me here, things'll get better I promise. )

Here Goes- Chapter 3

Maureen's performance went by in a blur of colors and strange visual effects through Marks eyepiece. (And when I say strange visual effects, take into consideration that there was a small replica of a plastic horse, and Maureen…now use your imagination.) He had helped her patch up whatever had been wrong with the microphone she was using, and then she'd proceeded to beg him to film her show. Which as it turned out was not that difficult to do because Mark gave in rather easily. He was somewhat of a pushover, and she most certainly was not. The fact that he found himself attracted to her didn't help him in that situation either.

"Thank you all for coming!" Maureen shouted to the decent sized crowd of people in front of the stage. "Oh and don't forget two weeks from now will be my next performance, and trust me, you'll want to be there" she said just before she started blowing kisses at her audience. A few whistles, and shouts of blatant lust came from men who seemed interested, but she completely disregarded them, and turned away to start packing her equipment.  
_'Was it just a smudge on the eyepiece or did it look like she blew that kiss towards me?' _Mark shrugged off the thought and then decided to offer her some help, because she seemed to be having some difficulty lifting a speaker. As he nudged his was through the slowly dispersing crowd he lifted his camera so that he could check the eyepiece. No smudge. Before he had the chance to look up, he had bumped into the front of the stage, and was standing directly in front of Maureen. "Hey um-" "Mark, uh Mark Cohen" he provided for her. "Alright Mark Cohen" she said mockingly as the speaker she was carrying began to slip from her grasp. "Help me out one more time?" she asked in almost a pout, which he found to be nearly irresistible. "Yeah sure, hold on let me get that for you." Mark climbed on stage, and with extreme care set his camera on a stool before taking the speaker from her hands.

He helped Maureen pack up all of her equipment, which took up the better part of an hour, making it nearly midnight when they finished. "Whew, how do you normally manage that all by yourself?" he asked her as he picked up his camera and sat down on the stool in its place. "I don't, I normally flirt with some buff guy from the crowd, you know, blow him a few kisses, then pout my lips and ask him to help. Works every time" she winked in his direction as she sat on the stool across from him. "Oh" he said with a tone of obvious upset. She hadn't meant any of it after all. _'That's what you get for being so stupid, you knew she was way too attractive for you' _he scolded himself internally. Mark had never really thought of himself as being all that good looking. It wasn't as if he didn't have any good qualities, he just always thought of himself as being homely. But she was stunning, radiant almost. She had a strange confidence about her that made her almost appear as if she were glowing. "Hah, you know I was only kidding right? Geez Marky you've gotta lighten up" she smiled at him, then stood up and stretched. Mark's mood was considerably lightened for the rest of the night. He walked Maureen home, laughing along the way when she would stop in the middle of the street and start singing, or if she invited a bum or two to one of her shows. Whether she ruined Roger's night or not, Mark thought she was amazing.

It was nearing one o'clock in the morning, and back at the loft Roger and April were sitting and waiting for Collins to come back from his search for Mark. They had decided it was best that Roger stayed with April because she was still a bit unstable, while Collins went in search of their friend, who had been missing since he had last gone to Aprils.

"It's alright baby. Here take a hit" Roger said as he offered April a needle in an attempt to comfort her. Although she had calmed down a bit she still hadn't given anyone a reason as to why she was so distressed. Luckily for Roger her suffering took his mind off of the pervious nights misfortunes. "No, Roger I want to go back to my apartment, please I'm fine now, I'm fine" she lied to him as silent tear rolled down her cheek. "Just let me use the bathroom, then I'm gonna head back to my place" as she said this she untangled herself from his arms and walked toward the small bathroom of the loft. "If your going back then I'm going with you, I just want to make sure you're alright" he gave her a smile that was painful for him to make. He hated seeing her upset. She in return gave him a sad smile back, then nodded, and closed the door to the bathroom.

'_Pain killers, pain killers, where are they, come on, I know Mark must've bought some after I took them last week. Roger would've used one this morning, and for God's sake Mark is like his mother- aha, here, Advil, just a few to numb the pain' _she told herself as she grabbed twelve pills and shoved them in her coat pocket.

"Alright" she said as she opened the door to the bathroom having stolen the pills, and taken some time to compose herself, "Lets go." Roger and April made the 20 minute walk from the loft to her apartment, though it felt to them as if it had taken an hour. Once inside Roger almost immediately fell asleep next to April on the couch, from time to time muttering "It's alright baby" in his dreams. April slid off the couch careful not to wake him, which wasn't a difficult task, he was a heavy sleeper. She grabbed a piece of paper and a pen off of her kitchen counter, then quietly made her way to the bathroom. She scribbled a few words down and placed the paper on the bathroom sink. She turned on the hot water, which was really just lukewarm because she had used all the heated water that morning. She undressed and downed the twelve pills from her pocket, then slid into the tub. _'This is it. This is how I'll end up anyway, might as well get it over with' _she thought as she took one last look through the open door out at Roger who was still fast asleep on the worn down old couch. She pushed the thought of him out of her mind, then grabbed her razor.

Roger woke with a start, beads of sweat rolling down his face. "Holy shit" he managed through panting breaths. "Whew….just a dream" he told himself as he wiped the sweat from his forehead, and fought to slow his breathing. He swung his feet over the side of the couch and into a freezing cold puddle of water. "What the-" as he followed the trail of water with his eyes back to the source, he let out a cry of anguish. He jumped from the couch, sprinted into the bathroom, and fell to the floor as he took hold of April's lifeless hand. As he fell, tears streaming down his face, a note fluttered off of the bathroom sink. "**WE HAVE AIDS" **was all it said.


End file.
